Pull Me Deep
by Youngster DJ
Summary: Leaf and Misty talk about Red's disappearance, more specifically, Leaf's refusal to move on following him leaving for three years. Unconditional love is what happens when you get pulled in too deep. RedXLeaf


**Hi! Youngster DJ here, with another one-shot after forty years off the internet! Honestly out of practice and coming off a depressive break from writing anything, so excuse me as this is simply me shaking off the rust. The inspiration for this fic is a song from Logan Henderson by the same name, "Pull Me Deep". It's a pseudo-prequel to my last one-shot, "Answers".**

* * *

 _ **"Pull Me Deep"**_

* * *

"I know he's up there, I know he is, I just _know_ it." A Brunette said seemingly to herself, pacing back and forth inside her room as an orange haired girl sat on the foot of the bed, watching her somewhat frantic movements with a mixture of mild amusement and slight worry. "I know he's up there, probably training or something, probably-"

"Probably not thinking about you, Leaf." The orange haired girl interjected, stopping Leaf in her tracks. The brunette looked up, locking eyes with her carrot haired friend. "He's been gone for _three years_ , do you think he's been up there thinking about you this whole time?" Leaf didn't answer, instead choosing to stare down towards her sneakers, not daring to meet eyes with Misty. They'd had this conversation before, about Red, about her remaining faithful to someone who seemingly couldn't care less about her as more than a friend, someone who had went and abandoned them for three years and seemingly didn't intend on coming back any time soon.

She wasn't a fan of her long distance crush, to put it nicely.

To put it _less_ nicely,

"If he wanted you he'd be here right now, you know that, don't you?" And this was when she started to cut deep. Leaf visibly winced at that, not wanting to look up but finding looking down making her feel just as ashamed. "If Red wanted to be with you, to give you that answer, you'd have one by now." Misty sighed, laying back on Leaf's bed. "You really need to give him up. He's kind of a jer-"

"No he's _not_." Leaf cut her off sharply, nearly making the orange-haired teen jump. "You only see this side of him, this distant side. You weren't there when he saved me from Team Rocket, more than once! You weren't there when we escaped Mount Moon, you weren't there when I was the first face he saw when he woke up from that coma, you didn't see the look on his face when he left here three years ago, you didn't know him like I did, Misty. You never could have." Leaf turned away from her, staring into her mirror that sat on the top of the dresser, whether it was to look at herself or to look at Misty the latter didn't know.

"You can't tell me you do, that you know better, I know him. I know he's distant and kind of quiet and stuff, but he's my little knucklehead, ya know?" She sighed heavily, looking down. "He's my Red...I grew up with him, I watched him go from a little kid too scared to even touch a Pokemon to facing down Giovanni with nothing but courage on his face. I watched him beat Brock, then beat you, and beat everyone else in his way. I know who he is, better than anyone else, and I love him more than I could ever love another person. Call me crazy, I don't care, I fell for that knucklehead and I'm not letting him go."

Misty was silent. Usually she would go on and on and on about why she needed to drop Red, about what a bum he was for disappearing for this long without any word to the person who confessed to him before he left. Normally she'd be finishing her speech about now, and Leaf would tell her she was right but still come back around to him later. He was her addiction, she'd fallen too hard and no matter how much she talked sense into her, she never listened, not really.

She might stop for a day, but she'd be back at it.

She always came back to him.

Misty sat back up following a few more moments of quiet between them. Leaf was staring rather lost into the mirror, not really looking at it, too lost in thought. "I get that, I do. You feel like he's this great guy only you understand, that I can't tell you who he is better than you can. That I don't get love, that I don't get Red. And you know what? Maybe you're right, I don't know Red as well as you. But," Misty stood up, causing Lead to turn around so they were face to face, "Listen to this, please. Don't let love drown you, don't let it take over, don't do anything stupid." Leaf stared at her for a while, seeming to process all she said for a moment, before smiling softly, a weight seemingly off her shoulders.

"I won't," She pulled Misty into a big hug, "Thanks Mist, appreciate you putting up with this and you're right. I've been drowning in these feelings of mine. And speaking of drowning, I'm kinda thirsty. Want a water bottle from the fridge? I'm gonna go get one." Misty blinked a few times, before smiling back. Leaf usually didn't give in that quickly, but she wasn't complaining.

"Sure, can you get one of those flavor pack things too? I've been craving grape for some reason," Misty replied, and Lead nodded, heading for the door.

"Water, grape flavor packet, gotcha." With that, Leaf headed out, her smile fading as she headed downstairs into the kitchen.

She should let him go, move on, get with someone who wanted her enough to stick around at least. She should listen to Misty and everyone else who didn't like Red that much, especially after he left her without an answer to her confession. She should listen to them, but...

Her hand found it's way to the locket around her neck.

* * *

 _"It's regional gift day, right?" Red asked, stopping and turning to Leaf. They were both wearing Pokemon themed Kimonos, Red sporting a fiery Charizard one and Leaf one with alternating leaves and Bulbasaur heads. Leaf blinked, not expecting him to remember._

 _"Yeah, why?" Red grinned like he'd hit the lottery, digging into his pockets and pulling out a small box._

 _"I saw this and I had the money for it, and, uh," He sheepishly scratched his head, "I dunno, I kinda just thought it'd look good on you." Leaf's face went bright red and she immediately looked away from him. Red, nervous, hastily put the box away.  
_

 _"O-oh, did you not want a present, I'm so sorry! I'll take it back! I'll take it back!" He said frantically, and Lead aggressively shook her head, facing away from him._

 _"It's...It's fine! Just put the box down and look away!"_

 _"What? Wh-why do I have t-"_

 _"Look. A. Way."_

* * *

She was drowning in her own love for him yeah, but he was worth losing her breath. He made her infinitely more happy than anyone or anything else. She knew she shouldn't go up that mountain, she knew it, she was in over her head. She was drowning, but only because he'd pulled her down so deep.


End file.
